The approaches described in this section could be pursued, but are not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated herein, the approaches described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
Automobile theft is one of the most commonly occurring crimes all over the world. For example, about one million motor vehicles are stolen in the United States every year, representing annual property losses of over $5 billion dollars. Moreover, vehicles can be stolen to assist criminals in even more serious crimes, such as homicides or terrorist attacks.
Traditional vehicle anti-theft solutions may include various electro-mechanical locks, car alarm systems, immobilizers, intelligent engine controlling firmware, and others. Unfortunately, seasoned criminals often overcome these anti-theft solutions in order to steal vehicles. Satellite and other remote monitoring systems have been also used to locate stolen vehicles. Criminals can also overcome such solutions by immobilizing or removing related equipment from the vehicle. Additionally, these solutions have created serious privacy concerns and have been outlawed in many jurisdictions.